The House and Senate passed the
final version of the FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA-H.R.2810)
that focuses on military readiness. The bill authorizes nearly $700 billion,
which is $26 billion more than the Administration's request and $80 billion
more than sequestration spending caps still in effect.

The bill will now go to President
Trump who is expected to sign it into law. The bill does exceed the
(sequestration) budget cap for defense spending and will require additional
congressional action to be enacted. The President, along with the leaders
of both the House and Senate, must strike a deal to eliminate or raise the
sequestration caps for Defense spending in the next few weeks. Members are
encouraged to go to the FRA
Action Center to ask their legislators to exclude Defense spending from
sequestration.

House Passes Gold Star
Family Support Bill

The House passed by voice vote,
the "Gold Star Family Support and Installation Access Act"
(H.R.3897), sponsored by Rep. Don Bacon (Neb.), that provides installation
access for Gold Star families to attend memorial services and unit reunions on
military installations. It also extends access to on-base services for
surviving spouses who remarry, as long as the dependent children of the
deceased service member remain under their guardianship. This FRA-supported
bill now goes to the Senate for further consideration.

Does AUMF Need to be
Updated?

In the wake of service members
being killed in Niger, some in Congress have expressed an interest in Congress
reviewing, debating and re-authorizing the current Authorization for the Use of
Military Force (AUMF). Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Both
President Trump appointees argued the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs, remain a sound basis
for ongoing U.S. military operations against an expanding and changing threat
in the Global War on Terror (GWOT). The Pentagon recently released a report
that indicates the Department of Defense has spent more than $1.4 trillion on
GWOT since September 11, 2001

POW/MIA Commemorative
Chair at U.S. Capitol

FRA National Executive Director
Tom Snee recently attended the unveiling of the
Prisoner-of-War/Missing-in-Action (POW/MIA) commemorative chair dedication
ceremony on Capitol Hill. It was unveiled by
House Speaker Paul Ryan, who was joined by Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senators Elizabeth Warren and
Richard Blumenthal, and Representatives Stephen Lynch and Samuel Johnson, who
spent seven years as a POW in Hanoi. The memorial chair is located
in the Emancipation Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center, and serves to honor
American prisoners of war. It stands as a reminder of the nearly 83,000
servicemen and women still missing in action. At the 90th annual FRA National
Convention the delegates unanimously approved the 2018 FRA Legislative Agenda
that includes: "FRA work to ensure that the DoD make every effort for a
complete accounting of all Prisoners Of War and Missing in Action service
members for past and current conflicts."

Thanksgiving Day Holiday
Office Closing

There will be no NewsBytes next week
due to the Thanksgiving Day holiday. FRA Headquarters will be closed Thursday
November 23 and Friday November 24. The next issue of NewsBytes will be Friday
December 1, 2017.

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NewsBytes is FRA's weekly legislative update. If you received this through a forward and would like to subscribe, please e-mail us and include your name and contact information in the body of e-mail. If you are a member of FRA or LA FRA, please include your member number.